No. 10 Colorado continued a thrilling run in the Pac-12 South on Saturday, beating No. 22 Washington State in Boulder, 38-24. The game swung back and forth a bunch, but Colorado pulled away in the fourth quarter and settled in for a key win.
Colorado delivered in its biggest game of the year. The Buffs can smell the Pac-12 South title
The Buffs are on the brink of a division title.
Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports
For Colorado, it’s critical. The Buffaloes entered with a one-loss advantage in the South’s standings, ahead of USC and Utah. The Utes lost to Oregon earlier in the evening, which takes them out of contention. The Buffs clinch the South if USC loses later Saturday at UCLA, or if CU can beat Utah next week. The Buffs are this close.
Washington State could’ve used a win, obviously, and not getting one stings. It extinguishes whatever tiny hopes they might’ve had of making the Playoff with a Pac-12 title. But they’ll still head into next week’s Apple Cup against Washington (in Pullman!) with a chance to win and clinch a league title game spot. It’s absolutely possible the Buffs and Coogs will see each other again in a couple of weeks.
This was an enjoyable game, and somehow, that’s not surprising.
Just as we all expected, Washington State and Colorado were playing in a huge Pac-12 game in November, and no, it’s not the year 2000. These teams are legit, and they entered leading the conference’s respective divisions:
Before the 2016 season, the Pac-12’s media predicted the Buffs to finish last in the Pac-12 South, with UCLA winning the division. Washington State wasn’t predicted to do much better, getting picked to finish fourth in the North, with Stanford winning that division.
But as we enter the final weeks of the regular season, Washington State is first in the North, and Colorado is the leader of the South.
Colorado has been rejuvenated under head coach Mike Macintyre, and the Buffs are a great story. But so is Washington State, who may be having one of the weirdest seasons in college football. This loss stings for WSU, for sure, but there’s a pretty good consolation in that they’ve still got their own Pac-12 shot.
Some of the Pac-12’s best teams of recent years have been down this year. It’s been a lot of fun to watch the Buffs fill the gap, and it stayed fun on Saturday.
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